James Lane Allen was chairman of Booz Allen Hamilton from 1946 to 1970, a time of steady growth in the firm’s number of partners, staff, and geographic locations. He was named honorary chairman in 1970 and remained actively involved with the firm until his death in 1992.
Jim joined the firm, then called Edwin G. Booz Surveys, in 1929 and was named a partner in 1936. Focusing on business strategy, personnel, and organization studies, Jim’s early clients included Hart, Schaffner and Marx, Ditto Inc., and Chicago Title & Trust, among others.
In the early 1940s, Jim joined Ed Booz in conducting the firm’s landmark work for the U.S. Navy and Army leading up to World War II. After the war, he led Booz Allen to add the technical, scientific, and engineering dimension to its management consulting base that would, in time, become the firm’s largest and most successful business area.